How to survive Cannes Film Festival, Short Film Corner and Marche Du Film like an expert

Being in the Cannes Film Festival for the first time can be a very complicated and over-whelming experience. Besides the excitement of the adventure soon to begin, there are a lot of decisions to make. It’s only ten days of pure cinema and glamour where you need to take advantage of every film, party and experience you can. Every second counts in this French paradise and there is no time to lose. Here are some helpful tips that can help those venturing for the first time to this amazing cultural journey.

The planning starts way before you get there. Accreditation is the most important thing you’ll need to do before even getting plane tickets. If you want to hang out around hotels getting to see producers, directors and actors, you’ll need a badge. Without it you will only be able to lurk around and buy some food, but it is needed for events, screenings and even parties.

If you are currently working in the film industry (as an actor, actress or journalist) you can apply through the festival’s web page. It is better if you do it as soon as inscriptions open (usually on February). If you are a producer or director joining the festival for the first time you’ll need to send your CV to the office in France along with your business card and some internet links with your credited work. Media and film CV’s should always stay short and display as much of your work as you can. The committee that evaluates your accreditation may contact one of your references by phone to confirm what you say is real. Make sure that if you have an IMDB page it is updated. Even though it is not official, it has been said that they look at it too. If you can’t get an accreditation you still can apply for day passes. This will take a few hours after you get there. You need to figure out where to get your credentials. It is usually in the Palais, a gigantic mega theater on the coast.

Travel and accommodation

When travelling, the key is to book early in low budget airlines. If you buy them ahead of time you can get tickets for less than 150 €. When it comes to where to stay at you have two main options. You can either take a place far from the action (these are usually cheaper) or look for one located at a walking distance from the festival. In the first option, however, you will need transportation every day and that can make it even more expensive than just staying near. There are a lot of hotels and apartments to rent. Many people who live there take that weekend off and leave their places available. Try to stay with as much friends as you can so the price can be lower per person.

If you need to communicate easily while you’re there, you should considerate activating your company’s international plan for the month. If not, prices can get to be really expensive. E-mails and other applications should be used only when there’s Wi-Fi available. Keeping this in mind and being careful that you turn off your data usage can keep your phone bill on a reasonable amount.

Cannes ticketing system

Market badge should be useful for most screenings outside the Palais. It is recommended to get there at list 45 minutes before it starts because lines can be long. Market screenings indicated with “buyers only” or “invitation only” require a printed invitation or being on a list. You should contact your agent if you want to go to one of those. At the Lumière, the main theatre at the Palais, getting tickets can be quite complicated. These screenings all require hard invitation for entry.

Points are assigned to you at the moment of the registration. You are given a specific amount per hour. This amount will increase only with years of seniority. You can accumulate additional points by formulating different actions during the festival. By entering into the computer system it calculates how much time it takes you to get a specific amount (for example: you have 17 hours to get 15 points). However, with the additional points you can get them in less time. Films are also screened after the premiere outside the Lumiére where you won’t need points to get in. This can be useful to save some of them and still watch everything you want.

Reservations for tickets are made by a computer system. Keep in mind that you can cancel a reservation with no punishment but, after you pick it up, if it is not scanned at the Lumière entrance, you will be punished for next year and declined of getting more points.

There are usually 4 different screenings per movie. Each one has a different point value based on the time of the day they are shown. Prime time screenings are the most expensive ones and require formal attire for men and women; they are about 100 points each. Morning screenings are the cheaper ones. They are denoted as press releases. Even though a film has already screened that that day, the release will be considered to be at the prime time schedule. This makes the other ones much cheaper (30 points the cheapest). If you avoid the prime time gatherings, you can watch the festival’s main films without needing a lot of points or formal attire.

Dress code is an important issue to take into consideration. Even though it will almost be summer, you will still need to take a light jacket. For daily events the best choice is to wear light comfortable flats. When hills are needed pack them on your purse and put them on when you get there. You walk everywhere, and sometimes it can be a hike between one cinema and another. For screenings at the Lumiére, women must be in formal dress and men in black tuxedos. Proper shoes are required for getting through the events there. If you have a sales agent friend somewhere, you can ask them to store your jacket/dress on critical days. It can be frustrating to miss a film just because you didn’t have time to go to your room and dress up.

There are several Pavilions on the Palais worth visiting for different reasons. The American Pavilion offers interesting conferences with important personalities such as Robert Duval and Martin Scorsese. It also has free Wi-Fi connection and people there are often very friendly. The Kodak tent is usually next to AmPav. It can be useful to get free tickets to it because they give out soft free drinks, which can be necessary at that time’s hot weather, and sometimes offer events

worth looking at. British Pavilion and Pavilions from across the globe are good options for checking out and most of the times you wont need passes for entering.

Food, Drinks and Parties

There are many options available for eating and drinking. Some of them are cheap yet delicious options such as Nicoise Salad Sandwiches: big portions and located right next to the Palais (where you will spend a lot of time). In Jean Jaures train station there’s line of restaurants where you can get a complete meal for 15 € including the drink. Most of them have none stop service. La Pizza is a big restaurant (which means it is easy to get a table) with decent pizza and not so expensive prices. However, best pizzas are found at Vesuvio and Pizza Cresci. Some restaurants with exceptional but expensive food are Brochette de Grand-Mère: traditional French meal served family style, Table Du Chef: small and personal environment, and L’Affable: one of the best but pricy. Be sure to make reservations on these ones before you go.

Drinks at hotels and bars can be really expensive. Beers and Vodka with Coke may price up to 5 and 20 € each. However, there’s usually free champagne at parties and happy hours at bars with free drinks too. Keep in mind that drinking in hotels is the most expensive way to do it. While drinks at the Hotel Martinez are 16 € each, at some bars and restaurants they can be found at 6 €. The Petit Majestic, located just besides the Grand Hotel, can be a good option of a small bar with good prices. Country tents by the water also host happy hours with free wine and beers. There are a lot more options you can explore while you are there.

During the festival, parties take place almost as much as movie screenings. Be bold and ask for invitations if you know someone that could have. Hard invitations are safer than emailed ones, however, you can get through some parties just with the PDF invitation on your phone.

Dealing with celebrities is a really common thing in Cannes. Don’t be surprised if you find Quentin Tarantino drinking in the same hotel bar as you, without any security or barriers. If you want to ask them for a photo or an autograph it’s ok. However, remember hotels are the places where they try to get away from paparazzi and the spotlight. Also keep in mind that you are working too and it’s always better to keep it professional.

5 tips for saving money in Cote d’Azur

1. Get free festival accreditation by applying early (usually starting February). 2. Book early to get the best hotel deals.3. Stay somewhere on a bus route. Relying on taxis can quickly destroy your budget.4. Lower your food and drink budget by living of canapés at parties and always carrying a

wattle bottle you can refill from the cooler downstairs in the Palais. If canapés don’t fill you up try finding cheap restaurants.

5. Save up to 10 € each way by taking the train from Nice airport to Cannes, not the tourist-baiting 210 bus. Railway station is just a 5-minute walk away.

- by Maria Camila Ramirez for Cloud 21 PR – Film Festival promotion and marketing Services for Cannes, Short Film Corner and Marche Du Film